Project Liaison Board

2005/10/25

On the August 26th, 2005, took place in the city of Xai-Xai, a meeting of establishment of Project Liaison Board (PLB).

The PLB appears because of the need in filling the existent estrangement among the ones who make decisions and those who implement them, what causes some communication problems and share of information. The PLB has the following objectives:
· To be as a tool which involves the communities to the highest consultation level and decision making;
· To create an organ of sharing of the information among the project, other interested and the affected parts;
· In the initial period, it will be used as issue of training of the members of the community to be the members completely functional of the PLB of Administration that will substitute the actual Steering Committee of the PLB, starting from the moment in which the initial agreement among the parts has ceased;
· It will be also, used to involve the provincial and local governments in the decision making and sharing of the information; and
· To involve interested parts as ONG's and other donors to guarantee coordination and sharing of the information.

The idea for the establishment of this committee was agreed and was stood out its importance and has been emphasised that should not be just one more organ, but that should be effective in its operation, being suggested its flexibility in delegating locally to their members to facilitate the process of socket of decisions.

There were presented some problems, especially the conflict animal-man, associated to the non-forecasting, in the legal view, of a funding to the damages caused by the wild animals. Were discussed some measures of mitigation such as, fencing, identification and management of the corridors of wild fauna, abates and/or driving away animals. Also, were advanced some ideas so that can minimize the problem, as the use of the ultra-quick aeroplane, recently acquired by the Park, the bicycles delivering to the members of PLB of the Park and the community's representatives. Another is the identification and establishment of an area of maintainable use of the resources, foreseen in the Management Plan, for the communities' benefit and the identification and spread of the use of other alternatives, such as the use of the chilli to drive away the elephants.

Another lifted up problem was about the embarrassments for the communities' involvement in the Park activities, which illustrate with its organizational incapacity, logistics and of knowledge, to develop the inherent tasks.

In consensus and unanimity was decided that the representative of PLB in the Steering Committee is its president and the meetings of each trimester should be done in Xai-Xai or at the Districts of Chicualacuala, Mabalane and Massigir.

Was concluded that the PLB, would be a more valuable in the participation of all the interested parties, particularly for those affected communities, in the planning and administration of the Park activities and at tend was outstanding the need of its training.

Were made the following recommendations:

1. The Area of protection of PNL should be permanent member of this committee because the main problems of the Park have connection to the supervision;
2. For the monitoring and responsibility should be indicated activities and established periods;
3. To promote lectures in the communities on importance of the Park and measures to drive away the animals using local means;